Potato chip fryer and agitator



Patented Jan.9,'1 940 invention isv an improvement in machines forcooking foods,andrelates more particularly toa machine for frying potato chips, or the like.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide in a machineof the class described a means for agitating the food particles within the container' during the frying operation," suchJmeans being so'arranged and operated that delicate particles of food, such as' potato chips, may be thoroughly agitated during frying, without danger of excessive breakage of the chips. I v

A further object of the invention is to provide an agitator means for agitating potato chips during the frying process in a container: whereby the chips will be more or less continuously turned overin the frying medium so that the heat treat-' ment of the same will be substantially uniform throughout the mass being fried.

A further object of ,the invention consists in providing a fryer for potato chips inwhich power driven means rnay' be employedto actuate a slicer for supplying fresh chips to the container and forreciprocating an agitator within the container for turning the chips during frying operation.

A further object consists in providing a vat or other container for holding the grease and chips which are friedtherein and to provide aremovable cover for the container, said cover carrying a chip agitating means thereon which may be removed from the container upon removal of the cover.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device for economically frying potato chips which is simple of construction, convenient to operate, and inexpensive to manufacture, and which possesses the further characteristic of avoiding burning of the chips or uneven frying thereof. I

Other objects and will becomemore apparent as the following description ofan embodiment thereofprogresses, reference beingmade to the accompanying drawing, in which like reference characters are employed to designate like parts throughout the same. I f

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of bodying my invention, in which certain of the parts are shown in cross section; I Figure 2 is a top plan view'of the same; Figure 3 is a partial side elevation of the machine showing the cover in open position and the agitator means withdrawn from the container;-

Figure 4 is a transverse section in the direction advantage sci my invention ,v

' drlveszt el u J3yth1t0ushxth belt Hi. The pulley I 3 drives the cross. shaft and the pulleys 'a machine em- UNITED?STATES 1;

or nnJ- lfprr'i ur' filtr te the agitator means in plantview; 3 V

FigureS -isa-yieW taken in the, direction of line 5-5 of Figure 1;.and 1 Figure .6 is an enlarged fragmentary: view taken in the line i-efi of Figure 1. a e

In carrying but myiinven'tion n accordance with the embodiment shown, iirthe drawing, I provide a cooker comprisinga burner compartment I ,and a container 2":which is adaptedlto telescope partially into the open top; of thetlower compartment-H I v .7

A gas or other provided within the,

member I. so that the flamel will be positioned properly to eificiently heat the bottom of the container 2 when the, latter is intheposition shown. The container, 2 is providedrwith' ,a rolled flange or bead 4 near its bottom end which supportsthe containerati in the compartment 1. V

The container-2 .is adapted to receive the proper quantity of lard or other frying. medium inwhich I the potato 'chips' jori other particles of food arev fried. The level ,of, the grease is; preferably such that the fingers of the agitator will be immersed therein when the agitator is in its lowermost position'. K

- There is provideda coverfi for the receptacle 2 which ishinged at 1 to a bracket 8 mounted on the body ,I. {The cover,.':B need not completely cover the open end; of the container, but may form openings. 9 on o posite sides thereof through which the progress of the frying may be observed.

,Supported on the hingedcover B} are a" motor In having connection witha source of electric power, a power transmission to the agitator andv an agitator mechanism. A potato slicerjindicated at l I may ailso'befsupported by the cover. and driven by the motor simultaneously with the agitator;

The motor I0 carries a drivingpulley l2 which l6 and I! keyed thereto.

The shaft I5 is mounted to rotate in suitable bearings I8-supported on the cover. connects the pulleys Hand '20, the latter being keyed to drive the crank shaft 2| mounted in the to form a lip 43.

cutter disc 26 is carried by the shaft 25 and is provided with a plurality of radial cutters 21.

Potatoes fed into the hopper l I will be engaged by the rotating cutter disc and the slices thus formed will drop through the open bottom of the hopper and into the grease container 2.

My invention contemplates the provision of a novel means for agitating the chips or other particles of food which are to be cooked or fried within "the container 2; One formof agitating means embodying my invention is clearly shown in the accompanying drawing and may include an agitator frame preferably formed of wire and having connection with the crank shaft 2! whereby the agitator may be reciprocated' vertically in the container 2.

The wire frame includes preferably a concentric series of rings 30, 3l, and 32, there'being a plurality of rods 33 extending transversely of t t e, series a a hedth s by sp welding, so that *the ring's will be held together rigidly inv concentric spaced relation as'shown.

I have provided-a second pair of-rods 34 bridging the inner ring 30 and connected at one end with the ring 3| as at 35. At 36 there is provided a. projection or stop extending from the'ring 3i toward the ring 30 and is located in thepath of movement of the supporting plate 31. As indi- 'cated in the figures, the plate 31 is formed of sheet metal and is provided with downwardly turned flanges 38 along opposite sides. The rods 34 loosely pass through aligned openings in these flanges and thus permit the frame comprising the rings 30, 3! and 32 and the rods 33 and 34' to slide normal to the axis of the rings. Sliding motion is limited in one direction'by-the stop 36 which will engage'one of the flanges "38' of the plate 31. I I This sliding motion ofthe frame is desirable to more readily permit the cover 6 to be raised. In raisingthe cover from the position shown in Figure 1 to open position, as in Figure 3, the wire frame will slide tothe position shown in Figure '3, thus preventing any binding effect of the frame within the container 2 as it. is tilted in raising the cover.

The driven shaft 2| is provided with a crank arm 39 which is pivotally connected by means of a connecting rod 40 with the plunger M. The lower end of the plunger 4! is removably secured toXand carries the. plate 31 and the rest of the agitato-rmechanism.

, Each of the concentricrings' is provided with a plurality of light resilient fingers .42 which project downwardly from the respective rings. 'As theicrank shaft revolves, the .fingers 42 will be i'mmersed'in the grease and removed .intermit tently.

The fingers 42 may be formed in the shape-of wire loops, the lower portionsbeing bent or turned It will therefore be apparent from the disclosure that as the fingers 42 are repeatedly immersed in the grease, they will contact the chips floating therein and will thus insure a more uniform cooking of the chips.

The chips will not only be moved around in the grease, but will be turned over time and again until the entire mass is thoroughly and evenly cooked. Furthermore, by my apparatus I am enabled to handlerather largefq'iiantitisfof chips at a time without'danger of breakage'tothe chips during agitation.

Various changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims. I claim:

1. In a food cooker, a container, a support hinged to the container, an agitator depending transverse-direction when the support is swung to withdraw the agitator from the container, said agitator including a frame comprising a plurality of ring members, transverse members for support-: ing said rings in spaced relation, fingers depend? ing from said rings for engagement with the food in the container whereby to uniformly and thoroughly immerse the food particles in a cooking mediumin the container during a cooking operation. I

2. In a machine for frying fragile foods' such as potato chips, a container for the chips and a frying medium, a reciprocable member operating in the container, and means operated by the member for gently agitating and turning the chips or the like at or near the surface of the frying medium, said means including an open framework normal to the axis of the container, said frame comprising concentric rings and aplurality of resilient fingers depending from each of said rings and ada'ptedfto gently engage the food particles at or near the surface of the frying medium. e Y

3. A cooking apparatus for fragile foods such as potato chips comprising a container for the,

JORDAN A. REIDENBACHQ: 

